Wireless communication networks use base stations to exchange communications with wireless communication devices. To supplement these base stations, some wireless networks allow femtocells. Femtocells use the same protocols to communicate with wireless devices as do the regular network base stations but typically cover a smaller area and connect to the wireless network over communication means other than a typical backhaul link. This allows wireless devices within range of a femtocell to exchange communications with the femtocell in the same way the wireless devices would communicate with a regular network base station.
However, since femtocells are not connected to a wireless network using the typical backhaul means, a femtocell is not aware when a wireless device transfers to another base station from the femtocell. Therefore, the femtocell cannot distinguish between an inactive device that is simply not exchanging communications and a device that has left the coverage area of the femtocell to communicate with another base station.